Steelheart by William C. Dietz Page B

she refused to make it.
    Becka lifted the egg, cradled it in her arms, and tugged on the rope. The slack disappeared, the line grew taut, and the girl rose six inches into the air. The nano continued to attack. Becka's head started to swim, and she bit through her lip.
    Annie swore, heaved on the rope, and swore again. Becka, plus the egg, totaled a hundred pounds or more—a problem that would grow worse as the preteen grew older. Logic dictated that she dump the girl for someone younger, a biddable little boy would be nice, but Annie continued to procrastinate.
    Becka heard a scrabbling sound, knew what it meant, and screamed Annie's name. She was six feet off the ground by then—with ten to go.
    The attack robot bore a striking resemblance to its creators, right down to the ovoid shell, six legs, and willowy tool-arms. The machine thrust the front end of its body into the shaft, clacked its anodized mandibles, and scratched for traction. The robot pushed, earth crumbled, and the machine entered the shaft.
    Like the bodies upon which it was modeled, the machine could pull itself up into a vertical stance. Servos whined as the robot moved, grabbed for one of Becka's boots, and missed.
    Frustrated, and concerned lest the thief escape, the machine activated its offensive weaponry. It had two highly flexible laser projectors in place of antennae, and would have no difficulty burning a hole through the intruder's spine.
    But what of the egg? The human would almost certainly drop and destroy it. No, it was better to send a message to the surface, and hope for a rescue.
    The robot watched the human twirl at the end of the rope. She used her boots to push herself away from the wall—and clung to the egg. Three drops of blood fell, splattered across the machine's video receptors, and started to dry.
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    Enore terminated the conference call, spent little more than a couple of seconds savoring her victory, and rushed to rescue her egg. A quick review of nano-supplied video revealed that the robbery was almost complete—a robbery engineered and carried out by members of the very species with whom she had recommended that the Mothri align themselves. The irony of it stung.
    Enore even considered going up to the surface, tracking the miscreants down, and punishing them herself. The only problem was that it would take too long to open one of the carefully sealed entrances. No; justice, if such was to be found, would come via the machines who served her.
    Orders were issued, additional machines were dispatched, and Enore thought about her egg. Special egg, lovely egg, person that could have been.
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    Becka welcomed the feel of sleet on her face. Sleet and cold, cold air. The shaft opened to the sky, the rim came near, and the rope continued to hold the girl's weight as Annie tied it off. The stake that she had driven for that exact purpose moved slightly, held, and took the strain.
    Becka's screams had been reduced to little more than whimpers by the time Annie appeared against the cold gray sky, took the egg, and disappeared.
    There was a moment during which Becka thought she'd been deserted, left for the robots to find, but Annie returned, took the girl's arms, and pulled her out. The child felt a sense of relief. "They're all over my legs, Annie .. .biting and chewing!"
    Annie looked down, saw the blood on Becka's boots, and swore a terrible oath. "Hang in there, scrap. I'll pick them off you, but not till we reach the cave. Okay?"
    Becka tested her legs, felt them respond, and nodded her head. "Okay, but let's hurry. The pain makes me dizzy."
    Annie regretted leaving the rope, but knew there was no time to retrieve it. She clutched the egg to her ample bosom, shuffled toward the escape route, and prayed there was time.
    The robot, one of many permanently assigned to the surface, had been three standard units away from the point of incursion when the call came in. Moving as quickly as it could, the machine made its